12 Wollongong nightclubs we (would rather not) remember

12 Wollongong nightclubs we (would rather not) remember

BOURBON STREET: Turn 18 in the noughties? There's a good chance you spent this milestone birthday shivering in the queue to get into Wollongong's hottest nightspot, proudly flashing your (now legit) proof-of-age ID at the bouncers once you finally reached the door. The nightclub closed in 2006, only to reopen in 2007, this time with a surfie theme.

BOURBON STREET: Targeting the 18-25 age group, the Keira Street club, pictured here in 2002, played a mix of pop rock, R&B and dance across its three levels.

COONEY'S TAVERN: The vibe at Cooney's was more relaxed and social than your average Wollongong nightspot. Patrons played pool and scoped out the rooms to see who was there, before ordering a Crown Lager or vodka cooler and climbing the steps to the crowded beer garden. Picture: gdaypubs.com.au

COONEY'S: The Irish pub brought in the Illawarra Pipe Band to entertain patrons in the much-loved beer garden in 2004.

COONEY'S: The Grand Hotel was opened on the corner of Keira and Burelli streets in November 1937. The building later traded under the names Hal's Tavern and Cooneys, before the original name was restored by the RDL Group in 2009.

The Grand Hotel in Keira St, formally Cooney's, in 2009.

The Grand Hotel in Keira St, formally Cooney's, in 2009.

GLASSHOUSE TAVERN: One of Wollongong's most popular haunts, despite being listed as the second most violent pub in the state in 2009, with 36 assaults the previous financial year.

GLASSHOUSE: In an effort to make the nightclub safer, the Glasshouse faced restrictions including 2am lockouts, plastic cups after midnight, extra security, no more than four drinks per order and bans on shots, doubles and mixed drinks with more than 5 per cent alcohol.

GLASSHOUSE: Kelly Robinson at her 21st with Summa Robinson in 2011.

GLASSHOUSE: Katie Placek, Gina Tsiamis and Alicia Jongsma in 2002.

GLASSHOUSE: Stacey Williams and Lisa McNally in 2003.

GLASSHOUSE: Jason and Shane Bartsch, with Richard and Karen Campbell in 2004.

HERE'S CHEERS: Before it was Rusty's it was Here's Cheers. Lynne Van Buggenum, Carol Neil and Donna Tipping celebrated in 1998.

HERE'S CHEERS: Ros Clarke, Lynette Ison and Anna Abbatantuono were in the festive spirit at Here's Cheers in 1998.

RUSTY'S: Rusty's would next become Castro's, Wollongong's first exclusively gay nightspot.

CASTRO'S: When the gay-orientated club, famous for its stripper poles and iconic dance cage, closed abruptly in 2013 Wollongong's LGBTQI mourned its loss. "We have to go to Sydney for a night out, there's nothing here," said Hayley Jean of the University of Wollongong's AllsortsQueer Collective. "We need to be seen more in Wollongong, we need young people to see us and for people to know that we're here."

INDUSTRY: Previously known as Castro's and Rusty's, the Victoria Street club was rebranded Industry by Metro Entertainment in November 2013. Despite its focus as a gender-diverse and inclusive venue with strip shows, burlesque dancers and drag shows, the club closed its doors in 2014 due to a lack of patrons.

BELMONDO'S: Belmondo's at the Northbeach Novotel was the place to be in the '80s. Picture: Lost Wollongong, Peter Adams

SPLASHES: The Northbeach Novotel reopened in 2007 after a five-year absence and the clubbers loved it. Picture: Lost Wollongong, Sonja Lunn Photos from around Wollongong by Jens Madsen

SPLASHES: Images from security footage of the murder suspect fleeing Splashes nightclub on the night of a fatal shooting in 2007.

SPLASHES: Police cordon off the area near Splashes nightclub in September 2007 after an execution-style killing in front of staff and other patrons. ''I want to make it clear that this was not a nightclub brawl - it was something which could have happened anywhere," the hotel's general manager said at the time.

MIMMO'S: ''Mimmo's might be closed but the sign's still there,'' wrote Heather Smith on the Lost Wollongong Facebook site of the Crown Street jazz club.

MIMMO'S: Lost Wollongong, Heather Smith

OXFORD TAVERN: The iconic watering hole, affectionately known as 'the Occy', was 'ground zero' for many Wollongong musos, ''particularly for at least several generations of live music advocates who held regular meetings in the beer garden," according to University of Wollongong academic Dr Rob Carr. Picture: Lost Wollongong, Brian Stradbrook

OXFORD TAVERN: The live music venue’s unexpected demise in 2010 sent shockwaves through Wollongong. A Facebook tribute page dubbed ‘‘R.I.P. Oxford Tavern’’ attracted more than 625 members in less than 24 hours. Mourners also set up the Facebook event ‘‘Wake for the Oxford Tavern’’.

OXFORD TAVERN: In July last year work had begun demolishing the former Oxford Tavern to make way for the Oxford on Crown towers.

The iconic sign was saved for Warren Wheeler's Steel City Sound exhibition, documenting the history of the Wollongong music scene.

ABBEY'S: The Corrimal Street nightspot was created for the over-30s crowd. Blaring live music from loud bands was out and in its place recorded music from The Beatles and other bands of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

ABBEY'S: "It will be an upmarket club with a bit of style," one of the partners in the club, Raz Dema, said when it opened in 2000. "We believe there is a need to provide a venue for a more mature crowd."